The Secret of the Snape Amulet
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Lily was supposed to take the Snape Amulet with her into her grave. How could it activate and interact with Severus' own amulet four years after she died? Completely AU, partly OOC, childfic, abuse!Dursleys, Sev as Harry's father fic, sick!Harry/Severus


**The Secret of the Snape ****Amulet**

**~ by Healer Pomfrey ~  
**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

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_**For Wandamarie - Happy Birthday!**_

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It was a dark and stormy evening in November, and Severus Snape was sitting at his desk in his office grading piles of homework, a task, which he absolutely detested. He slowly brought his hands to his temples and gently massaged them to get rid of the headache that he felt build up at the maddening work. '_When will those dunderheads ever learn that they can't stir clockwise after inserting frog liver? I should take some of them and let them brew what they suggested in their essays – after warding the classroom of course_,' he thought in annoyance.

All of a sudden, he felt something strange. The snake amulet, which he was wearing at a chain around his neck, invisible to everyone but himself, heated up. '_But that's impossible_,' he thought in disbelief. '_I gave the equivalent to Lily when we married, and she took it with her into her grave. How can it alert me now that she is in peril? Potter can't have taken it from her, because he wouldn't have been able to see it and because she could have only taken it off by herself_.' Startled, he pulled the amulet out from under his robes, seeing that the snake on it was dark red and hissed at him. '_Pity that I can't understand Parseltongue_,' he thought as he gripped his amulet and left to see what was wrong with the equivalent that was supposed to be buried with his former wife.

Severus badly hit his head when he arrived at his destination and took in with surprise that he found himself in a small cupboard. '_Oh, I just hope I didn't give myself a concussion_,' he thought as he cast a Lumos charm to be able to evaluate his surroundings. Too much used to being a spy, he didn't let out any sound but inwardly gasped as he noticed a small boy curled up on a thin mattress. '_That must be Lily's boy_,' he realised. '_Perhaps she gave the amulet to him. How dare she? But why did it heat up? What's wrong with the child? I should check on him, even if he is Potter's boy_.'

He took a step towards the boy, slowly as to not aggravate his now splitting headache, and noticed that the child's breathing sounded laboured and his face was deeply flushed, although the boy seemed to be shivering violently under the small baby blanket that served as a cover. Severus pulled his wand and cast an overall diagnostic spell on the child. Seconds later, a small parchment emerged from the tip of his wand. He looked at the writing in shock.

_Age: 5 years, 3 months, twenty days_

_Illnesses: Pneumonia, concussion, broken wrist, broken ankle_

_Temperature: 41.1 (105.5) degrees_

_Other ailments: Malnourished (50 %), too small (30 %)_

'_I need to take him to Poppy immediately, even if he shouldn't travel with magical means if he has a concussion. If we travel the Muggle way, he won't survive it_,' Severus thought. He carefully pulled the sleeping boy into his arms, trying to stabilize the child's head between his own left shoulder and his cheek and pried the boy's hot hand around his second amulet, which served as his emergency amulet. He muttered the incantation, and the Portkey activated and took both of them straight to the hospital wing at Hogwarts.

Severus laid the child on the bed right next to Poppy's office, glad that the Healer had already heard them and was on her way to their side.

"Severus, who is that and what happened?" she asked in surprise, already running a diagnostic spell on the child. Before he could even reply, she ordered him to fetch several potions from her office and began to heal the boy's broken wrist and ankle.

By the time Severus returned, the Healer had magically taken off the boy's clothes, and Severus noticed in shock that his whole body was covered in bruises and welts. '_What did those Muggles do to the boy?_' he thought in shock, feeling strangely sympathetic for the child in spite of knowing that he was the son of his childhood enemy. '_Well, he is Lily's son as well_,' a voice at the back of his head spoke up, causing him to slowly tell the Mediwitch how he had found Harry Potter.

To his great surprise, the Healer shot him a broad smile, before she let out a sigh. "I am so sorry, Severus. I couldn't tell you the truth, because I was bound to my Healer's oath, but now that you have found out by yourself, congratulations Severus. I'm so happy for both of you."

"Err, sorry Poppy, but I don't understand," Severus mumbled, fiercely rubbing his forehead.

"Do you have a headache?" the Healer queried, eyeing him in suspicion.

"It's nothing," Severus scoffed, causing the Mediwitch, who had known him since he was eleven, to raise an eyebrow in surprise at his uncharacteristically rude tone. She was Severus' best friend, and normally Severus was very polite towards her.

"Do I need to cast a diagnostic spell?" she asked sharply.

"No. Can I have a headache potion please?" Severus finally admitted, sighing in relief as he gulped down the cold liquid. "Thank you. Can you please tell me again in clear words what you were implying earlier?"

Poppy let out a small chuckle. "Severus, Harry will be fine after a few days of bed rest. Let's go into my office for this. You don't look well, even after taking the potion, and I want you to sit down for a while."

Realising that the potion had only helped so much, Severus agreed and followed his colleague into her office. "Severus, why do you think Lily gave the amulet to her son?" the Healer spoke up, before she called Misty, her personal house-elf, and asked for tea for the two of them.

"I have no idea. I gave it to her when we married," Severus replied in a slightly upset voice. "It was meant for her and not for a son of Potter." He spat the last word.

"You knew Lily so well, Severus," Poppy said calmingly. "Do you really think she would give it to her second husband's son?" The Healer raised an eyebrow, before she continued, "Lily did not love James. She didn't want to leave you. You were the one, who forced her to separate from you, and she only married James for a reason."

"Don't tell me it was because she was pregnant," Severus gasped as his thoughts went haywire. "But that can't be. We separated..."

"Ten months before the baby was born?" Poppy interrupted him, smirking. "Did you not know that it is possible to magically prolong a pregnancy? As I said, I am really very sorry that I couldn't tell you about this earlier, especially now after becoming aware of how his relatives seem to have treated him." She quietly wiped a tear from her cheek. "I'm very sorry, Severus. Oh well, on the other hand I'm glad that the truth came out now. You will probably need Minerva's help to cancel the charms Lily put on the boy to look like James."

"Did... Did anyone else know about this?" Severus queried, torn between anger about the secret that had been kept from him and amazement about the fact that the boy in the bed outside was his son. '_Lily's and my son_,' he thought.

"No Severus. I only know because Lily needed my help with the pregnancy," Poppy replied in a soft voice, gently patting his shoulder. "Severus, what's wrong with you?" she suddenly asked in a much sterner voice and quickly laid a cold hand on his forehead. "You're running a temperature," she said accusingly. "Why don't you tell me the truth?"

Severus sighed. "When the amulet took me to Harry, I ended up in a small cupboard and hit my head against the ceiling," he admitted in a small voice. "I might have a slight concussion, but it's not bad and I'll survive it."

Poppy let out a snort. "Please leave that decision to me. Considering that you're now a father of a five-year-old, you must take better care of yourself. Now lie down on the bed next to Harry and let me do a proper check-up."

Feeling too unwell to put up a fight with the stubborn Healer, Severus obeyed, sighing in relief as his achy head came to rest on the pillow.

"No, don't go to sleep yet," Poppy admonished him lightly as he closed his eyes and was about to drift off into an exhausted sleep. She quickly waved her wand over him, before she lectured him in a stern voice, "It is not a slight concussion but worse than that. You're going to keep your son company for at least two days. Do you understand me?" She returned to her office and came back with a small goblet. "Drink up and then you may go to sleep. Do I have your permission to tell Minerva and Albus the truth?"

"Yes," Severus mumbled sleepily. "Kill Albus for me and don't let him take Harry away. I will take him in."

"Severus, I hope that you really mean that and it wasn't only your fever talking. He deserves a better childhood," Poppy mumbled in a barely audible voice and turned back to Harry as she noticed that Severus was already fast asleep.

When Harry's mind slowly turned to awareness, he noticed in surprise that he felt much better than before. His head didn't hurt as much anymore, and he could breathe easier. He cracked his eyes open, only to close them again quickly as the rays of the early morning sun hit his face. '_The sun?_' he suddenly realised in shock. '_Where am I? There is no sunshine in my cupboard_.' He hesitantly opened his eyes once again, only to notice that he found himself in a huge, bright room with many white beds. Some of them were occupied, others were empty. '_I must be in a hospital_,' he thought in confusion, '_but how did I come here? I thought Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would rather let me die than to take me to a doctor_.'

Suddenly, a woman, dressed in white clothes, came around his bed and stood next to him. "Good morning, Harry," she said in a very kind voice. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

"I feel much better, thank you," Harry replied in a small voice. "I'm sorry, Madame, but where am I?"

"You are in the hospital wing of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I am Madam Pomfrey, the Mediwitch. Do you remember me, Harry? Your mother often came here with you when you were a baby. You were even born here, in a small room behind my office."

"Aunt Poppy?" Harry queried hesitantly, uncertain about why he associated that name with the kind woman.

"Exactly, my child. I am your Aunt Poppy," the woman replied joyfully. "Now, you are very ill with pneumonia, and you have a concussion. I'm afraid that you will have to stay here in bed for a few days."

"That's all right," Harry whispered, thinking, '_I like it here. Aunt Poppy has such a nice voice, and she doesn't shout at me. And she made me so much better. I wished I could stay here forever_.'

"Fortunately, your father found you last night and brought you here to me," the Mediwitch continued, causing Harry to look at her in confusion.

"My father?" he asked, rubbing his forehead. "But my relatives told me that my parents were dead..."

"I know, Harry," the Healer interrupted him gently. "However, at that time, only your mother died. Your father is asleep in the bed next to you. He will explain everything to you later on."

"But my relatives?" Harry asked, anxiously looking around as if he waited for his uncle to appear and drag him away any minute.

"You won't have to return to your relatives anymore," Poppy said softly. "Now try to sleep some more, sweetie." As soon as Harry drifted back into a much needed healing sleep, she spelled a few potions straight into his system, before she stepped aside to check on his father.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Harry slept until late in the afternoon, and once again, the Healer was at his side as soon as he woke up. She gently helped him to sit up, instructing him to try to not overly move his head, and placed a plate with soup in front of him. To his surprise, Harry noticed that he felt very hungry, and he gratefully ate his soup until it was completely gone, while he listened to the kind witch, who spoke to him in a quiet voice.

"Thank you so much," he said gratefully as he put his spoon down.

"You're welcome, Harry," Poppy replied kindly. "Would you like some more?"

Harry threw her a surprised look, which didn't go unnoticed by the Mediwitch. "No thank you," he said softly. "I'm completely full."

"How often did your relatives feed you, Harry?" Poppy asked hesitantly.

"They gave me something to eat every day," Harry replied innocently, causing the woman to let out a snort.

"May I ask what your aunt gave you to eat, sweetie?" she asked in a soft voice.

'_I just hope she won't notice that I'm a freak and throw me out_,' Harry thought, terrified at the question. "Bread with cheese or an apple or such," he said hesitantly, unsurely fidgeting in his bed.

"Harry, once a day is not enough. From now on, you will eat proper meals at least three times a day. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Madame," Harry said in surprise. '_Am I captured in a dream?_' he mused. '_This is too good to be true. I have a father, I don't need to go back to my relatives, I get three meals in one day and I'm feeling so much better_...'

"Harry," Poppy's voice pulled him back to reality. "I need you to drink this potion for me." She pressed a small goblet against his lips, and Harry obediently took a small sip. "Don't dwell on the taste. It's medicine, and it'll make you feel much better."

'_I'm not supposed to get any medicine_,' his mind screamed, but Harry automatically followed the kind woman's instructions.

When Harry complied, the Healer handed him a small box. "I don't know if you remember chocolate frogs, Harry. Open it carefully, so that the frog won't hop away before you can eat it," she advised him and added, "Since your father and you are my only patients at the moment, I will go and attend dinner in the Great Hall. If your father wakes up in the meantime, please tell him that I'll be back shortly."

"Yes Aunt Poppy," Harry replied and profusely thanked the kind woman for the chocolate frog. Seeing the Healer leave the room that was lit by torches between the tall windows on both sides of the room, he carefully opened the box and pulled out a card with a picture of a man that smiled and waved at him. '_Who is that?_' he thought, before he noticed that two words were written under the picture. He still couldn't read well, but he managed to slowly read, "Salazar Slytherin." Turning the card around, he found more information about the man and eagerly began to read.

"Salazar Slytherin... one of the four Founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry... greatest Potions Master of all times... Parselmouth..." he uttered to himself as he slowly deciphered the text.

Harry then slowly pulled out the chocolate frog. Somehow, he knew instinctively that he had to bite off the head first, so that the frog couldn't jump away. '_I think someone told me to eat the head first, although I can't remember when I had such a frog before_,' he thought. '_Maybe my Daddy gave me one, before I was stuck with my relatives. Why did he leave me with them at all?_' he wondered, looking over to Severus with interest. '_I hope he'll wake up and explain everything to me soon_.'

He quietly scrambled out of his bed and stepped over to his father's side. '_He looks nice_,' he thought, '_not as mean as Uncle Vernon, and I like his long, black hair. I wonder why he is asleep in the bed. Is he sick as well?_' Somehow feeling cold barefoot on the icy stone floor, he returned to his bed and crawled under the covers.

Suddenly, he noticed that his father, who had so far been peacefully asleep, began to thrash around wildly. '_Oh no, what's wrong?_' Harry thought and scrambled out of his bed once again. This time, he carefully climbed onto Severus' bed and slightly shook the man's shoulder, whispering softly, "Daddy, wake up. It's only a bad dream."

Severus jerked awake, feeling that someone was slightly shaking his shoulder, whispering, "Daddy, wake up. It's only a bad dream."

He opened his eyes in shock, finding himself face to face with a small boy, and the memory of the previous evening came back into his mind. '_My son_,' he thought, '_and apparently he knows_.' The edges of his mouth pulled up to a slight smile. "Harry," he whispered, "are you all right?"

"I'm feeling much better. Thank you so much for rescuing me," Harry replied quietly. "Aunt Poppy promised that you would explain everything to me."

'_What am I supposed to explain_?' Severus thought in disbelief. '_I have been as betrayed as you_.' However, seeing the boy's – his son's – expecting look, he reassured him, "I will explain everything, Harry, and I promise that I will never leave you alone if I can prevent it. You won't return to your relatives' home if you don't want to."

"May I stay with you?" Harry queried, his expression full of hope and love.

"Yes my son, of course," Severus replied, just when a stern voice diverted his attention.

"Harry, what do you think you're doing out of bed?" Poppy asked in a slightly upset voice. "Go back to bed right away, young man."

"Yes Aunt Poppy, I'm sorry," Harry replied politely and obeyed immediately.

"Poppy, Harry merely came to wake me up from a nightmare," Severus sighed. "Thank you, Harry."

The Mediwitch mumbled something under her breath and began to wave her wand over Severus. "If you behave, I will release both of you tomorrow evening," she said finally, before she magically moved Severus' bed right next to Harry's and placed a white screen around the two beds. "I believe that you owe your son a story. Try to not move your heads, both of you." With that the Healer retreated to her office, giving father and son some much needed privacy.

"Harry," Severus said, slowly turning his head to look at the small form of his son. "Your mother and I already knew each other when we were of your age. We lived in the same neighbourhood and always met on the playground. In fact, I was the one, who realised that she could do magic just like my mother and I."

"Magic?" Harry queried in a small voice. "My aunt and uncle always said there was no such thing as magic, although sometimes things happened like by magic."

"There is magic, Harry, and you are a wizard like me," Severus reassured him and continued, "When we were eleven, we came to Hogwarts, the school, where we are at the moment. And although Lily and I were sorted into different Houses, we remained best friends. Two years after we finished school, we married and intended to remain together forever, because we loved each other very much. However, at that time, there was a war and it was dangerous for her to remain together with me. Therefore, we separated with the intention of getting together again as soon as the war was over. I know that you won't be able to understand everything I am telling you, but I promise that I will explain every detail when you're older. Now to make it short, your mother lived together with a friend of her, and when you were born, she told everyone that you were his son in order to keep you safe. Even I didn't know that you were in fact my son. Unfortunately, your mother and her friend were killed in the war, and you were brought to your relatives. No one but Aunt Poppy knew that you were my son, and she couldn't tell anyone, because she was bound by her Healer's oath to keep the secret for herself. If she had told anyone, she would have died."

"But how..." Harry threw him a confused look.

Severus sighed. "You have a chain with a snake amulet around your neck, don't you?"

"Yes. That's really funny," Harry replied, chuckling. "The snake sometimes moves and even talks to me."

"Can you understand what it says?" Severus asked, alarmed. '_Don't tell me he is a Parselmouth_,' he thought in disbelief.

"Yes, of course," Harry said.

"Oh well, I have the same amulet. It's the amulet of the Snape family. I had the two amulets made for your mother and myself when we married, and your mother must have given hers to you at some stage. Anyway, the snake on yours communicated with the one on mine, and my amulet heated up to let me know that you were in danger and brought me to the cupboard, where I found you."

"Thank you for coming, Dad," Harry whispered as huge tears began to stream down his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he sobbed, "I'm just so happy. I always wished that I had a father who would come to get me away from my relatives, because they hated me so much."

"It's all right, Harry. I'm sorry it took me so long to find out about you, but I will never ever send you back there. However, as soon as you're completely back to health, we'll talk about how they treated you," Severus said softly as he leaned over and gently wiped the tears off his son's cheek.

"Thank you," Harry whispered contentedly and nestled into Severus' arm, before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep with a smile playing on his lips.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Severus and Harry spent another day in the hospital wing talking about the past, before Poppy finally allowed Severus to try to reverse the charm Lily had placed on Harry. "As I told you earlier, you'll probably need help. I know the charm Lily used, and it is not easy to cancel," she advised Severus.

"Poppy, I'd like you and Minerva to help," Severus replied, before he turned to Harry. "Do you want us to try to cancel the charm your Mummy placed on you to make you look like James?"

"Yes please," Harry replied firmly. "I want to look like Mummy and you."

"We'll see," Poppy chuckled and headed to the fireplace to call McGonagall.

The three adults had to try a few times, before they managed to cast the spell simultaneously enough for the charm to fail. Harry, who had anxiously pressed his eyes shut, suddenly noticed that his whole body began to hurt. He opened his eyes and looked at Severus, who sat on the edge of his bed and slightly squeezed his hand.

"Are you in pain?" he asked softly.

"A bit, but it's not so bad," Harry replied uncertainly, knowing from his experiences at the Dursleys that he wasn't supposed to complain.

"Harry, we need to tell us if it hurts; otherwise we won't know and won't be able to help you," Severus said firmly, giving his son a sharp look. "We can give you a pain relieving potion if you need it, and the pain will go away in the blink of an eye."

"Yes please," Harry replied in a hardly audible voice, throwing Poppy a grateful look when she handed his father a small phial.

"Dad, is it difficult to make a potion, or is it similar to cooking?" he asked eagerly as he felt the pain subside. "I can cook, and I'd love to learn making potions."

"Potions have to be brewed," Severus informed him patiently, "and it's probably a bit more difficult than cooking, because everything must be very accurate. However, if you're interested, I can teach you, and I'm sure you will be very adept, because your mother was very good at brewing too. Now, if you feel well enough, we're going to leave this place and head home to our quarters. Cicero, our house-elf, told me earlier that your room is already finished."

"Wow, cool," Harry said happily and eagerly scrambled out of his bed. He hesitantly slid his small hand into his father's, said good-bye to Poppy and Minerva, who told him that they expected to see him in the Great Hall for dinner, and walked down to the dungeons with Severus, stopping every now and then to observe the people in the paintings, who were very friendly, talking and waving to him.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

It was very late in the evening when Severus, who was finally able to continue grading his students' homework, heard small sobs coming from his son's room. 'What's wrong now?' he mused and quickly headed to the chamber next to his own bedroom.

"Harry, what's wrong?" he asked softly, sitting next to his son on the bed.

"Nothing," Harry sobbed, reaching for Severus' hand.

Only now Severus noticed that Harry was holding the copy of the registration parchment in his hand, which they had received from the Ministry of Magic earlier. "I have a real father," Harry sobbed, "and two godmothers. I think I'm the happiest boy in the world."

"I'm glad you're so happy, Harry," Severus said, smiling. "However, it's already very late, and if you don't want to miss your first day at the Hogsmeade primary school tomorrow, you really need to sleep."

"Okay," Harry agreed, already closing his eyes. "Love you, Daddy," he mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.

"I'm sorry that you received my annoyingly straight hair, but I'm glad you kept your mother's beautiful eyes," Severus said softly. "I love you too, my son, and I'm very happy to have you here." With that he quietly left the room to finally finish his most annoying work.

**The End.**


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